Aesthetics with Ann Marie
Most of the media we consume anymore comes to us via some type of social media platform. Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and beyond, we engage with and follow creatives with the intention to discover new recipes, trends, dances, and brands. As we surf through social media, we are captured by various types of content and creators, all showing us how they live and influencing what we love.
I have followed the Home52 Instagram account for some time now, and was recently drawn to a minimal, colorful dining room feature. The accompanying Instagram story on Home52 was about how painted archways in homes add a level of individuality and character to any home.
This harmonious picture and story about a simple interior design feature reeled me in and led me to discover the content creator behind the story, Ann Marie Elaban.
When I landed on her Instagram page, I found more seamless content related to food recipes, interior design and fashion. This fall, I had the opportunity to meet up with Ann Marie and witness her compelling perspective for all things content creation up close. In between admiring her distinct eye for mixing bold and simple with danish simplicity and youthful energy, we chatted about all things social media, quarantine cooking, and content creation.
“We live in a world where people find you on Instagram before ever meeting you, so it just has always been the way I put my best foot forward.”
Did your younger self always aspire to work in a creative space?
Yeah! I always knew I wanted to do something creative. I went through many phases as a kid but all of them centered around being creative. I was obsessed with crafting when I was younger; I would cut out scrapbooking paper to make little clothes and paper dolls. I remember spending the entire day before Thanksgiving making little place cards for the table. At Christmas time, I would cut out all these elaborate snowflakes to hang from our ceiling.
I still do a lot of crafting, I’m a freelance crafter for JOANN, I know that my eight year old self would think that’s the coolest job in the world.
You have been featured by Home52 on their social media platforms. Talk about how social media has played a role in shaping your brand and career thus far.
Social media has been a big part of my “career” so far. When I graduated from college I really thought that I was going to become a fashion blogger so I spent a lot of time learning about iPhone photography, social media strategies, and content creation in general.
I quickly realized I did not want to be a fashion blogger, so I started to explore jobs that surround social media. I interned for a branding agency in NYC the summer after I graduated from college. I think my official title was “creative strategist.”
I’m positive that they only hired me because they liked my social media. It’s always been a way for me to share my life and people seem to like it!
We live in a world where people find you on Instagram before ever meeting you, so it just has always been the way I put my best foot forward. I talk about what I’m doing on Instagram but more importantly, I show people what I’m doing. I have to admit, Instagram has been a slow-moving game for me numbers wise but nonetheless it's something that I’ve learned to have fun with over the years.
How has TikTok changed the social media platform for content creators?
TikTok is an amazing social media platform. I highly encourage anyone who wants to be a content creator to get on TikTok and start creating. I was really skeptical about it at first.
You know, the same questions everyone asks themselves before getting on TikTok, “Am I too old for this?” “I don’t make videos?” “What do I have to say?”
Here’s why I love TikTok and why I think you need to get on it today. The home feed of your app is an explore page. That means that people spend more time watching whatever the TikTok algorithm suggests than the people they actually follow. This is so amazing because that means you don't need to have followers for your content to take off. It just has to reach the right people and get views, unlike Instagram where you need followers for your content to be seen. That being said, now that there are Instagram reels that function in the same way, you can cross-post your content and grow your following that way as well.
The other great thing that I love about TikTok is that it’s so much more casual than Instagram. Everyone is having fun and doing whatever they want all the time.
What do you think will be the next social media trend? What changes would you like to see across the various social media platforms in the next 5 years?
This is a tough one because social media surprises me every day. I think an overall trend you’ll see in the next five years is a huge shift to video. People respond so much better to video, so I think that brands/companies will probably spend more on video than photos.
I would love to see all social media become a little more casual over the next five years but I’m not sure if that will happen.
For my generation, Facebook is for older people and soon I think Instagram will become the new Facebook.
When supporting brands, what are some ethos you are most attracted to?
When I personally seek things out to buy I’m always looking at the design of the product first. How will this fit in my space? I mean, I love a conscious company as well but it’s something that I struggle with.
What does being sustainable really mean? What does it mean for a brand to be “conscious”?
“It’s really hard to find someone who really understands your vision and ideas before you really fully flesh them out and he always seems to get it.”
Who and what most inspire your eye for design? How would you describe your aesthetic?
In my personal life, my brother Andrew has always been an inspiration to me. When we were growing up he took a lot of photos and I think that really helped me understand how things read on and off the camera.
My partner, Chaz, is also a big inspiration to me. It’s really hard to find someone who really understands your vision and ideas before you really fully flesh them out and he always seems to get it.
I would describe my aesthetic right now as bold, fresh, and pop-y? The vibe is always changing though, five years ago I would only buy things that were mustard yellow.
When picking out furniture for your space, what are you looking for in a specific piece?
As I start to buy more permanent fixtures in my home I’m trying to think about how furniture will age.
Meaning, will this couch still be cool in five years or will it be outdated? It’s a struggle because I definitely love really trendy furniture. I also think a lot about how the colors in my space will interact with each other.
Since my place has really minimal pieces but really bold colors, it can easily look a little elementary.
What are some do’s and don’ts when decorating a space?
Do: Have fun, add personal touches, add a plant.
Don’t: Overcrowd (I struggle with this one), be afraid to swap out pieces you don’t love anymore.
Talk about some of your tried-and-true interior design brands. How do you see interior design trends shifting in the coming years?
Some of my favorite places to browse for inspiration are Coming Soon, Unison Home, and Cold Picnic. My go-to's that I actually buy from are Ikea (love a good Ikea hack), Article, Food52; Urban Outfitters also has some interesting pieces sometimes.
I think that there's already been a huge shift to the danish minimalist style, which I really love. Over the next few years, I think we’ll see more people spending money on their homes. There already has been with everyone working from home so much!
What has been your go-to meal to cook throughout quarantine?
We’ve been cooking so much since quarantine began in March!
Our go-to recently has been tofu with spicy Thai peanut sauce. The peanut sauce is so easy to make and it makes tofu, vegetables, and rice so much more exciting and delicious!
How did your virtual bake sale come to fruition? When can we expect the next one?
I started doing the virtual bake sales back in March. I lost a lot of hours at my part-time job and I needed something to work on. I was posting a ton of baking content on my Instagram at the time and people always commented, “When are you going to start selling these baked goods?” So it seemed like a great opportunity.
While I was doing my bake sales, the first Bakers against Racism date was set. It’s a worldwide bake sale to raise money for different Black Lives Matter organizations. This kind of jumpstarted the bake sales being for charity instead of for me.
In total, I’ve raised around a thousand dollars just from selling cookies which is pretty cool! As far as when to expect the next one, I’m not sure.
I’m a master at spreading myself too thin. I would like to come back to it one day soon but right now, there just aren’t enough hours in the day.
Talk about your experiences with food styling. How would you best describe the art of food styling for people who may not know what it entails?
I am a total amateur when it comes to food styling but it’s something that I’m really working at.
Food styling is such an interesting craft. It requires a deep understanding of food, cooking, and food science. And it also combines a lot of crafting and art skills.
If someone only had 24 hours to spend in Cleveland, where do they need to go?
Whenever I take people out in Cleveland it is pretty much a non-stop eating day.
Larder is probably my favorite place in Cleveland right now. Go on a weekend and get a cinnamon roll and then stop over to rising star and get a latte too.
If you’re doing a quick lunch highly suggest getting the vegetable sandwich from Herb and Twine.
Dinner? We’ve got options - Soho Chicken + Whiskey, amazing. Blue Habanero is my favorite taco in Cleveland. We’ve also just entered ramen season at Mason’s Creamery which is always a favorite!
How do you see your content and brand evolving in the next five years and beyond?
What a loaded question.
I’m hoping that soon I will be able to spend more time working on recipes and putting those out on my personal blog. I’d love to style a cookbook one day, maybe my own!
But overall I want to keep having fun with it so who knows what that means! Maybe by this time next year I’ll be doing something totally different.
